Chronicla/3/1 (Lorica)
__ForceTOC__ =Aspirations block= #Cut faera into pieces, grind it #Throwing potions w/ water, effect on breaking #Igniting fires #Create Ethanol (weakening, sedative) #Easy-to-activate blinding potions (puncture paper) #Potion easy to turn on/off (porous paper press in/out) #Long-term warmth potions #Steam potion #Getting information from journals #Spell-amplifier (actually a catalyst) #Blinding potion Chapter 1.1: Introduction to Faera The story begins in Aeutaril, the town of flowers, where the women frequently go to the nearby prairie to collect flowers in the morning. 14-year-old female protagonist Qura Auria is walking down the river-side road in the process of collecting fresh new flowers for her family home décor when she finds her best friend Tyl Loira, seemingly also doing the same thing. Qura waves to Tyl, prompting her to quickly hide something. Wanting to find out what Tyl is up to, Qura first asks leading questions to ascertain the fact that Tyl and Qura are best friends and that they would never hide anything from each other. Then Qura asks what Tyl had been doing earlier; Tyl replies that she was just picking the best flowers, a lie because it doesn't take long to pick flowers. Qura then probes what Tyl is carrying with her, and indeed sees nothing but her glass flower box. Apologizing, Qura collects her flowers, and shifts the discussion to news: Qura's father Teal has taken in the bride-price Tyl's father Judicad had brought over to their home, which means he's agreed to marry Qura off to Tyl's brother Intael. There are also references to what occupies Qura's spare time: studying air magic. Qura is the first to leave, since Tyl is purposefully collecting flowers slowly. Once Qura had gone a little ways off, Tyl takes out her secret glass vials; Qura notices and doubles back. Tyl is caught red-handed and Qura threatens to tell the Loira family about her little secret unless Tyl shares it with her. Tyl wants to perform a sisterhood pact first. Qura is reminded of what this means: This is done by ceremonially cutting their skin and putting the blood in contact with each other. If one introduces his blood to another, the donor has various means of magical control over the recipient; however, if the blood is mutually shared, it creates a blood bond which causes any harm (or even death) suffered by one to be shared with the other, a very good means of enforcing a bond; blood magic's ceremonies can't be negated. Qura and Tyl perform the blood ritual using Tyl's flower-cutting scissors; they are now blood sisters. Tyl tells Qura that now that they've had a blood ritual, it's okay to tell Qura what Tyl has been doing. Tyl reveals all her vials hidden under her bra, and tells Qura what they are. They are actually filled with a variety of different, little creatures (gem-faera, insect-faera, weed-faera, flower-faera, sand-faera and stone-faera). Those Tyl possesses are capable of 1) Create Light, 2) Create Heat, and 3) Create Water. Tyl had been using these flower-picking excursions as a cover for finding magical creatures, something Tyl has been doing in secret for a long time. Problem is, since she doesn't have much time to work with them, she has no clue what to feed them, and so they always end up dying on her. Tyl tells Qura that there's a reason why she must keep this secret; magic is taboo throughout Lorica and women most certainly are not supposed to do such things. Qura can no longer tell on her because if she did, Tyl would likely be punished and Qura would suffer the same consequences. Then they suddenly come across a snake, one capable of quickly tunneling underground, and Qura goes into a panic, runs and screams in fright, not realizing that the magic of the faera could be so threatening. Tyl, however, is cool and quick to assert control of the situation and, brandishing the ceremonial knife used in the wedding, kills the snake and proceeds to harvest it for its magic (though she really has no clue). Qura admires Tyl's bravery and resolves to be more like her; the two also realize that faera reside in larger animals, which they can only get to if they were to venture away from home. Chapter 1.2: Turning of Age Qura and Tyl go back to their village together (this village is a mere hour's walk away from Aeutaril, and right next to the edge of the prairie). Along the way Tyl wonders if the magic she's discovered is the little critters' version of channeling. Qura's never heard of it, so Tyl tells Qura all about it: Syrragil's Arcane Academy is the premier institution for teaching channeling, which involves using bodily actions to create and control air, water, earth, and flame. Tyl describes the various things that channelers are capable of doing, and an amazed Qura finds the prospect of doing this to be much more attractive, and wants to become a mage. Of course, as a peasant girl she has nearly no chance of exploring the world at large. This is what Tyl refers to as the Spirit of Youth. Qura gets back home, takes the picked flowers out of her collection box and uses it to decorate their home. She realizes just how boring it will be to become a typical peasant wife, and realizes that it's not for her. Sara (her mother) tells her that the marriage ceremony has been arranged for noon. Qura protests, saying she wants to have control over her own life, and that she wants to pursue what will make her happy. Sara then tells Qura the story of the rain maker. Not too long ago, a rain maker named Ilradan had come to Aeutaril saying he was able to summon rain; at that time Aeutaril was in drought, so it mattered a big deal. However, there were many people who didn't believe in his claim, and the village head priest, in jest, even said that he could summon rain as well. As a result it was declared that there would be a contest to see who could actually summon rain more effectively. The head priest went first, going to the top of his podium at the center of Aeutaril Forum and prayed. Five hours later, the skies were still clear; next, Ilradan did something with a staff of his, and within two minutes the town was drenched in rain. Some flocked to Ilradan in adoration and wanted him to stay around to give Aeutaril the rains; the head priest claimed that the summoning took exactly five hours; and others were fearful of the man, wanting this wielder of taboo magic banished. In the end it didn't matter; he was discovered utterly butchered the same night. Clearly, said Sara, mages were fated to death and ostracism. Sara derides her for trying to be independent and acting disobediently, saying that Qura has no idea what life is like as a channeler and that they have no money for such a tuition. Sara says that Qura has gotten to the Turning of Age, a time when young ladies like her are supposed to stop being filled with the spirit of youth and start doing socially respectable things. The two get into a fervent argument, as both think that the other is simply being condescendingly, stupidly stubborn and out of touch with reality. The argument quickly enlarges to encompass disobedience, respect for authority, childish dreams, authoritarian parents, etc. with both sides trying to logically outmaneuver the other side. Qura wins each of these arguments and makes her side convincing, but Sara simply falls back on parental prerogative. Ultimately Sara orders Qura to get out of her house and Qura goes to her room crying, her respect for her parents destroyed in the space of a few minutes. Then Teal (her father) comes back home and, after hearing from Sara what the argument was about, tells Qura to shut up. Teal won't tolerate any arguments from his daughter and has an imposing voice to match, so Qura is forced into silence. Teal then punishes her for her disobedience, saying that Qura's free spirit must be subdued. He does this through the use of blood magic, which can inflict upon Qura a tremendous amount of pain at her master's (father's) will; Qura recalls that a few years ago, Teal had put a little bit of his blood into Qura, as something fathers and husbands regularly do to daughters and wives across Lorica. Qura is reduced to sobbing on her bed, hating her powerlessness in being a girl in a male-dominated society and being unable to escape. She starts singing a sad song to try to make herself feel better. Chapter 1.3: Qura's New Master Afternoon. The Auria and Loira families have gone separately to the temple in Aeutaril to get Intael and Qura married. The marriage ceremony is performed without incident; it involves a short wedding ritual plus the giving of some of Intael's blood to Qura's veins. Gold magic is used to secure the deal (Qura's bride-price is 200 m. silver). Immediately afterward, Qura goes with the Loira family back to their village, all the while enduring Intael's less-than-discreet initiatives toward and his fondling of her while the rest of the family looks the other way. Qura ultimately just tells him to stop, which soon develops into Qura shouting at him to leave her alone. Judicad responds, saying that a girl must know her place in society, but Qura screams back her viewpoint, which much like in her argument with Sara revolves around what choices she believes women ought to have. Surprisingly, Intael responds by offering a gamble: he would allow Qura to live on her own if she can provide for herself, but if she fails, she must acquiesce to Intael's (her husband's) will. Judicad protests, but Intael overrules him, since it is Intael who has blood magic control over Qura. In a fit, Qura takes the offer and leaves the stunned family behind, going right back to Aeutaril to look for a job in the town. The rest of the Loiras return to their tailoring business. Meanwhile, Tyl is taken aback by Qura's determination and realizes that she too must one day break away from family and tradition if she is to ever complete her untold "life goal". Tyl's mind wanders to the various faera she had encountered and the magic they could perform, which include considerably more than the handful of specimens she actually keeps with her, and wonders if today is the time to run away, and if so, if she could trust Qura to come with her - after all, running away is probably difficult given blood magic. Chapter 1.4: Aeutaril's Star Waitress Qura goes about the various streets of Aeutaril looking for a job, intent on proving to Intael that she can survive on her own. However, she has been brought up to be a typical housewife, weak and without marketable skills, on top of which she's a young girl who had just been married, and so no one hires her. The only job she is able to get is as a local waitress, which there was no doubt she'd get because of her appearance. After a crash course given by the owner (Marciel), Qura starts handling customers and pretty quickly gets the hang of it. The grace she had been taught over her years of preparation to be a man's wife, and her innate sweet voice, pays off when it comes to treating the restaurant's customers. On top of that, Qura is extremely beautiful, which fetches a high price in service markets anywhere. However, she realizes that in order to succeed in this business she will have to act even more feminine than she would normally, ie. she would have to conform to and even exceed social expectations. Just to show Intael, however, she wills herself to do this with a smile. Soon she waits on exclusively the higher-up customers (the middle class, or bourgeoisie, and generally merchants), getting high tips, and starts to pick up on their lingo; by end of lunchtime she had earned the most of any waitress in the restaurant. In the tranquil late afternoon tea-time she is called upon to sing by one of the higher-up customers and proceeds to sing a lovely innocent song. Evening arrives and business picks up once again; her talent had spread around town so quickly that the Lord of Aeutaril shows up specifically to see what she has to offer. While she is attending to them and providing comfort to the lord, he is playing a game of chess with his officials; Qura convinces them to teach her how to play and learns quickly. Before he leaves, the Lord of Aeutaril plays Qura at chess (and of course wins); he also gives Qura a massive tip. Qura had brought the restaurant major business with that last one, and Marciel asks her to come back the next day. As Qura leaves, however, she realizes that she can't put up this façade forever, even if it be in spite of the Loira family; moreover, she can't be satisfied with the life of a commoner either. Chapter 1.5: Discovery of Magic Returning to the Loira's home at night, Qura reveals that while the other waitresses earned 1.0 m. silver for the day (and saved 0.2 m.), she had earned 8.0 m. silver from the Lord of Aeutaril alone for a total of 10.5 m. silver, enough to feed herself for 2 weeks, much to Intael's shock. Feeling good about herself, Qura gives Intael the cold shoulder, while Judicad tells Intael "I told you so". Qura goes with Tyl on Tyl's night-time walk by the woods at the village outskirts, ostensibly a relaxation time for Tyl. Reaching the edge of the wood, Tyl tells Qura that this is actually all about finding more faera. (Actually, Tyl merely kept using as an excuse something she had always been forced to do under Naga's control, so people don't think it's unusual). Qura helps Tyl out with finding the elusive faera in the woods and adding them to her vials, including hiding them inside Qura's own bra. From the interactions that the wild faera have in the open, Qura concludes the analogs between them and animals. Tyl then feeds to the faera various feeds she's collected; she's already figured out what some of them eat; others she hasn't figured out, in which case she simply gives them a variety of food to see if they eat any of them. Suddenly, Tyl's create-light faera shines nonstop; realizing this as unusual activity, Tyl catches the faera which seemed to have caused it (this is the spell-initiator faera); they take a moment to admire the wonders of nature. On a hunch, Tyl squashes this new faera and adds it to another create-light faera in her collection; it lights up the other one as well, and she has cast her first spell. Tyl is incredibly excited; she tells Qura that Tyl had always imagined herself a mage, or spellcaster, and that this one little step is but a harbinger of what's to come. Qura however is under whelmed; she still daydreams of channeling. Done at last, they rush back home; it is now late night. Qura wants to go straight to sleep (so as to ignore the family) but Intael is intent on having sex with her (as part of the wedding tradition) and in the ensuing struggle the faera-laden glass vials fall out of their concealment in her bra. Intael offers to keep it secret if Qura would do as he asks, but Qura refuses so Intael shouts out her secret. An angry Judicad rushes over, confiscates the vials and starts another shouting match with Qura. Ultimately, realizing that Qura might try to escape that night given her performance, Judicad chains her to her new bed. As a result Qura knows that this is not the right family for her and that if she stayed, she would once again be stuck in a family which treats women as little better than slaves. And remembering the experiences she's had, it becomes obvious that she has to leave. However, now two people have blood-magic control over her and it would be nearly impossible for them to muster an escape. Qura refuses to let Intael sleep with her, and Intael promises that he won't free Qura unless she submits to him. Qura goes to sleep thinking about magic. Chapter 1.6: Dream Desires That night, Qura finds herself in a vivid dream world. Qura arrives at Irisfal for the vestal ceremony along with Intael (who wants to see belles); Qura hasn't revealed her intention for coming, but she is certainly looking forward to it. This vestal position is part of the alternative for women: the priesthood, which requires knowledge of air magic. Qura knows air magic, having studied it in her spare time, and also has the requisite excellent, unmarred beauty to become one. In the midst of the festivities, in which Intael gets carried away, Qura registers herself as a contestant and then proceeds to take the air magic test within the main temple. Meanwhile Intael is making bets on who will be chosen; he stops in shock when he sees that Qura's name is on the ballot, and rushes to pull his wife out of the competition; however, he is not allowed into the temple. Finally it's time for the actual ceremony, and the contestants walk before the audience; Intael throws a rock Qura, bruising and thereby disqualifying her. The guard fines Intael a lot of money; Intael then demands that Qura now be extra obedient to make up for all the money he lost. When Qura refuses and tries to run to the safety of the temples, an enraged Intael uses blood magic to torture her, jolting her awake. A week later, Qura is working at Marciel's restaurant when a stranger and his attendant come in; they engage in discussion using meaning-weighted words and Qura, skilled at being alluring to men, launches innuendoes to the stranger, who answers back similarly and thus reveals his intense romantic interest in her; soon they are playing chess and Qura wins out. The pair then leave, but return the next day wanting a rematch. Qura is shocked when the stranger reveals his brooch, signifying that he is Altair Phoenica, the eldest royal prince gone incognito. It being a capital offense in dreamscape Lorica to challenge the royalty to anything (yes, even a game), Qura is terrified but is ordered to go through with the chess game anyway. She is so shocked she loses chess via a scholar's mate (this against an opponent who she had defeated), and then prostrates herself before him. Altair and his attendant spirit her off to the beautiful lakeside capital city of Aureil, a long ways off, arriving there in an instant via teleportation. A massive mothership which doubles as the imperial palace rose out from the nearby lake (Laga Aureil), and invitingly spans a collapsible bridge across to let them walk into it. She is then taken as a captive to the rear of the imperial palace. All the while Qura thinks that they are taking her to the execution stand for her crime and despairs; but it turns out that it's actually a wedding ceremony: Altair has chosen to marry her and since Altair is the prince, it's a unilateral decision. Qura protests, saying she's already married and (in this reality) has already been impregnated by her husband, but the king (Da Phoenica) calls in the Ceremoniat (Lansia) to preside over the ritual, in which the Ceremoniat enchants Qura with the aura (human enchantment) Reginylgynae and in which she is coronated as Princess Qura Phoenica. Her dream ends with a faint-headed Qura collapsing onto Altair's chest. Chapter 1.7: To Take the First Step Simultaneously, Qura awakens, having just tumbled off of her raised bed. It's late morning; she had overslept and the others had already gone off to work. Tyl has with her the keys to Qura's chains and uses them to free her, saying they should flee. Qura had always thought she was the one most interested in leaving and so is surprised at Tyl's interest in doing so and asks her why; Tyl says that it's because she wants to seek out magic (not specifying which kind). Instead, Qura locks herself back up and startles Tyl by saying that her parents were right; there are only two paths (being a wife or priestess), and as Sara had told her many times, girls can't survive on their own. Tyl counters, saying that Qura had managed to be highly successful as a waitress, and that everyone is entitled to pursue their own interests and explore the world. Qura is persuaded and the two agree to leave Aeutaril to seek out the Syrragil Academy. Meanwhile, Qura recalls her dream, how there was an empire in the dreamscape but not in the real world (which has eight nations and many feudal town-states). And besides, the Qura in her dream acted considerably different from the real Qura would, having knowledge of laws that hadn't existed; of course, she just discounted this as being what happens when one dreams. Category:Events